Cracks ran across the luminous ruby-red cocoon, the sheer cadence spilling from the fractures and lighting the entire grey atmosphere in crimson.
The reflection of the cracking mass shimmered in Seth’s eyes as the Xenon Sphere anchor warped into a mercury-like liquid, reforming into a dual pair of silver swords.
Seth clenched the hilts tightly, making good use of what little time he had to shed his being of the paralyzing terror coursing through his veins.
The orb reactor of the battle suit spun at full power, spikes jutting out from beneath and piercing straight into his chest.
Seth didn’t flinch from pain, nor was he surprised. After all, the second function had always stated it needed his blood to thrive.
And just as he was making every necessary preparation to face the inevitable... the inevitable came!
The cocoon abruptly burst into thousands of tiny fragmented pieces that vanished mid-air into simmering sanguine glitters.
A divine light of red washed over the plain...
Seth squinted, his heart skipping a beat, but he still gathered himself to walk forward, each step crunching into the dry cracked soil.
The brilliant glare died down, revealing what lay beneath.
Seth’s pupils shrank into pinpricks...
"Behold, mortal! The Regal Form of the Immortal King Blood-Sea!" A majestic voice echoed...
The figure of the King stepped forward, his form highlighted even further as the gleaming brilliance dulled.
And what could be seen could only be expressed in a few words: an imperial presence radiating a vile, savage aura that inspired dread, corroding the will of others relentlessly.
Coated in royal crimson armor lined with gleaming gold, all traces of rust now absent, a fluttering majestic cape billowed grandly behind him.
His helm still fully covered his face, but the line slits spilled light from the crimson orbs beneath.
Not to add the most alarming change — the monster had shrunk in size!
From being a colossal behemoth towering hundreds of feet, it had undergone a staggering downgrade to around nine feet tall.
Though still enough to loom over Seth, the most terrifying part was that the bone-shuddering aura hadn’t diminished. Instead, it had become more condensed.
Seth barely knew much about Titan-grade creatures. The bare minimum he had learned came from his friend Jack.
And he was pretty sure this Immortal King had been one. But now? He didn’t know what to think.
Every logic pointed to one conclusion: a Titan-class lifeform that shrank to this size meant all its energy had condensed into such a compact form...
Chills ran down his spine, his grip over his swords tightening, a welling heat surging from his abdomen as the adrenal matrix pumped like mad.
But regardless of how intimidating his foe was... ’Victory will still be mine!’
A crazed glimmer flashed in the depths of Seth’s gaze as he took slow, steady steps forward, the tips of his swords scraping against the earth.
His gait exposed zero vulnerability, his genetic battle suit humming with intense power like an active reactor.
His hair swayed in the wind, his battle helm retracted. Why? One might wonder.
Because it was time to use his Will in its rawest form...
A haze of royal purple welled from the depths of his eyes, murky veins of dark shadows crawling beneath his neck as a certain glyph dragon stirred.
Seth didn’t know how he knew, but looking at Blood-Sea he felt the abomination smile. It was a visceral, sinking gut feeling — but he just knew.
Seth’s swords flipped in his palms, his lips cracking into a crazed grin as he halted right before the monster...
A cold crimson glimmer between the helm slits flickered as the majestic voice boomed: "Interesting... I’ll enjoy ripping that smile off your face, Swordsman."
Seth’s arms raised, resting a sword on his shoulder. "Tsk. Are dungeon bosses supposed to talk so much?"
A cold aura swept forth in that instant, a ruthless glint igniting in the Immortal King’s gaze. His figure flashed, appearing before Seth before he could even register what was happening.
A hand clamped tight on his jaw, cold metal-coated fingers digging into his cheeks as the crimson-armored arm restrained him.
The Immortal King turned his head to stare at Seth, a metallic creak ringing out, a haunting whisper filtering into Seth’s ears: "I’m going to enjoy killing you, Swordsman!"
Seth’s limbs sprang into action, but the moment his muscles twitched, the King had already acted.
Dragging his prey by the jaw, his fingers clenched harder, ruthlessly digging into flesh and drawing blood as his feet stomped into Seth’s abdomen while his grip remained tight.
Seth’s eyes bulged as air escaped his lungs, his chest muscles spasming, his figure curling from impact. The monster’s grip kept him from flying away, his muscles weakening, almost causing him to lose hold of his weapon.
The Immortal King’s other arm moved. Though in a critical state, Seth detected the motion, his heart lurching as the stifling presence of death cast over him.
Death again!
So familiar with this feeling, he handled it perfectly. Neurons in his mind sparked with deadly energy... Will!
His eyes glowed a brilliant shade of amethyst. His weak grip over his swords tightened as he pulled strength from his core, flexing his hips, swinging both legs to lock the shoulder of the arm clamped around his jaw in place.
His movements were so sudden and erratic that Blood-Sea didn’t see it coming and failed to react in time.
The silver tips of his blades glinted as the Xenon swords shrank into short blades, spinning and digging straight into the tiny gaps in his opponent’s armor around its elbows.
Of course, Blood-Sea wouldn’t let this go unimpeded. His other arm whipped down at Seth — but the unthinkable happened.
Closer to Seth, the whipping limb slowed to a crawl.
The King felt the motion. It was meant to be fast, but it was as though the perception of time and the displacement around his foe had become murky and diluted...
Seth’s racial trait raged in full frenzy. Near death, his potential ignited, his Will blistered beyond margin — not in quantity but in thick, irresistible quality!
And by default, the Willborne ability Chronostasis blistered beyond margin, to the extent it was able to slow the attack of an amped Immortal King.
Something Seth couldn’t even do previously, even when the King had been in his base form.
Black currents flickered across the silver tips of his blades as they dug deep into the seams of the creature’s regal crimson arm guard.
His Gene skill Armageddon flared with absurd, furious lethality!
The Immortal King hissed in pain, his grip instantly loosening as the power of annihilation dug into his being, wreaking havoc.
Seth wasted no time. Releasing his lock, his genetic battle suit responded instantly, thrusters flaring to whisk him farther from his foe before his back even touched the ground.
Body aching all over, Seth caught himself at a distance, using an arm to support his dislocated, bloody mess of a jaw.
The shadowy veins beneath his skin writhed furiously, Seth’s sclera instantly dyed black, his amethyst pupils lined with a tinge of draconic gold.
With a pop, he snapped his jaw back into place, his expression cold...
His voice rang in the air, calm and chilling: "Dragon Manifestation!"
The entire area went dark, a dragon razor peeling through the skies as furious winds kicked.
For some unknown reason, the Immortal King felt an aura that provoked a hint of threat. His head snapped toward Seth’s direction, crimson eyes beneath the helm slits flashing...
"Dragon..." he whispered, his voice betraying instant caution.
He might have been dead for eons, but even a tiny fraction of his remnant still held memory of those fearsome creatures...
And instantly he knew... this Swordsman would not be easy prey...